The U.K. Housing Ombudsman Service is investigating a third-party IT security incident that impacted its case management system on Tuesday.
Established under the Housing Act 1996, the Housing Ombudsman is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government.
The watchdog settles disputes between social housing residents and social landlords in England, including housing associations, landlords, managers, and letting agents.
On Tuesday, the service added an alert to its official website, warning that it's working with the affected service provider to assess the incident's impact and said social housing residents cannot file new complaints until systems are back online.
Those who must raise new complaints are advised to call the Housing Ombudsman's phone line or email the watchdog at info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk.
"The incident has been contained, and we are working with our external supplier to establish the full facts, including the extent of the data involved," the service said. "We are continuing to investigate whether any personal information has been affected and will provide further updates as soon as we are able. "